Friday came sooner than I expected. I didn't know what to expect when Gladio showed up, but he was smiling and seemed ready to go. I threw on my shoes and we started off with a slight jog.

I explained my usual course, and he just nodded. So, I picked up my pace to a casual run speed, and he quickly followed suit. It seemed almost like second nature to him, which was amazing to me. Usually when you see a wall of muscle like this guy, you assume he stays in the gym lifting weights all day. It's apparemt that he does switch his workouts everyday.

"So, I didn't realize you lived by yourself"

"Oh, my parents are away on business right now. So, it might seem like I'm living alone, but they'll be back soon" I answered.

It wasn't a total lie. My parents were away on business, but they left last week, so I would be expecting them home sometime within the next month or two. But Gladio didn't need to know that.

"Well, I can already tell you're a hell of a lot more responsible than Noct is. Kid can't even wake up before noon without complaining"

"Don't be so hard on him. He is learning a lot for someone his age. I probably would've already cracked under the pressure"

He just sort of chuckled and we continued to talk at a leisurely pace as we continued running side by side. We passed by a breakfast cafe, and a thought crossed my mind.

"Hey, Gladio, what do you say to a race?" I asked.

"I'd say you're going down. Details?"

"From the street corner to the fountain in the middle of the park a few blocks away. Loser buys the winner breakfast" I said stopping so we could shake hands, if he agreed.

"Sounds good to me, especially since I'll be getting free breakfast" Gladio said with a smirk.

"Oh, it's on. Hope you brought your wallet" I chuckled.

We laughed, and as soon as we reached the start point both of us took on in an all out sprint. Gladio was taller than me, so his strides were longer, giving him the advantage. But, I knew these streets like the back of my hand.

Gladio seemed surprised with how well I was managing to keep up. I saw a grin on his face, but I was confused as to why he was grinning. That was, until he tried to stick his leg out and trip me. I only managed to just barely clear his leg in a jump, thus allowing me to pass him and take off again in an all out sprint.

I made it to the finish first and turned around to see Gladio was just finishing. He looked at me with a little bit of shock. I just shrugged and waited for him to catch his breath.

"So, guess this means you owe me a breakfast date" I said with a chuckle.

"Yeah...... I guess...... I guess it does" Gladio said, speaking through his deep breaths.

A sharp ringing drew both of our attentions. Gladio reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He answered it, and immediately I could hear whoever was on the other end, wasn't exactly happy with him.

"Alright, alright. I'll be there ASAP. Just chill Iggy" he said ending the call.

"Something to do with Noct?" I asked.

"Yeah. Iggy can't get him out of bed, and wanted to know why I wasn't there to do it. Gotta go wake up sleaping beauty" he said with a sigh.

"I understand. But don't forget, you owe me breakfast" I said with a smile.

He chuckled and we ran back to my place. He got his keys, and left, leaving me alone to do nothing but process this morning.

I was wondering what to do, when I got a good whiff of myself and decided a shower was in order. I went to the bathroom, stripped off my sweaty clothes, turned on the hot water, and hopped into the cascading droplets.

As I washed my body, my mind started to think back to my run with Gladio. How much muscle was actually on him, how well those shorts fit his ass, and also, how I'm pretty sure I saw a little bit of movement from the front too.

This, of course, only prolonged my shower as I had to deal with the problem those thoughts eventually led to. It wasn't until I was stepping out of the shower did I really start to process what just happened.

When it finally clicked, I almost yelled. I had a huge crush on my best friend's bodyguard. How the hell do you deal with something like this. Not only is he probably straight, even if he was gay, he could do way better than settling for me. Not to mention that Noct would probably feel super weird about it.

I mean, how could he not feel weird about it. His very attractive, very strong, and overly protective guard is being courted by his ugly, weak, and disappointment of a best friend.

I laugh at myself using the word court as if I were Ignis. But that thought brings up my concerns about how Ignis would deal with all of this. He may look calm and calculated, but from what I've heard from Noctis, he has flown off the handle a few times.

Oh jeez, look at what you've gotten yourself into Prompto. This whole mess could've been avoided if you wouldn't have joined Noct for his training session. You should've just watched tv in the safety of your apartment.